In the wake of extensive media coverage of his alleged affair with a political reporter, Mirthala Salinas, Villaraigosa announced that he was separating from his wife., and on June 12, 2007, Corina Villaraigosa filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences.

Charting the evolution of the sets that we belong to held a deep appeal for a young mathematician like Corina, whose professional interests were divided up among subjects as diverse as algebraic geometry, number theory, theoretical computer science, cognitive psychology, and behavioral economics, and whose personal interests stretched from fast cars to music and good conversation.